The first full weekend in October is traditionally one of the busiest and most important in North American Thoroughbred racing, as the final round of “Win and You’re In” qualifying races for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships are held at various racetracks.
Tag: Racing
38th Annual Maryland Million Anchors Laurel Park’s Fall Meet Stakes Action
Laurel Park will continue the stakes action during its calendar year-ending fall meet Saturday, Oct. 14 with the 38th running of the Jim McKay Maryland Million.
'Maryland's Day at the Races,' the Maryland Million celebrates the progeny of stallions standing in the state with eight stakes and four starter stakes worth a combined $1.08 million in purses and highlighted by the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up. The groundbreaking event has spawned copycat programs across the U.S. and Canada since its debut in 1986.
Maryland Million will also offer the $125,000 Turf (3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles), $125,000 Ladies (fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/8 miles), $100,000 Sprint (3-year-olds and up, six furlongs), $100,000 Distaff (fillies and mares 3 and up, seven furlongs), $100,000 Turf Sprint (3-year-olds and up, 5 ½ furlongs), $100,000 Lassie (2-year-old fillies, six furlongs) and $100,000 Nursery (2-year-olds, six furlongs).
Pre-entries for the Maryland Million were due Sunday. Final entries will be taken and post positions drawn Sunday, Oct. 8.
A total of 32 stakes worth $3.13 million in purses will be offered during Laurel's 50-day fall stand, which opened Sept. 29 and continues through Sunday, Dec. 31 with four-day live racing in October and November and three-day live racing in December. There will be no racing Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.
Following opening weekend, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday in October and November and Friday through Sunday starting Dec. 1. Post time will be 12:25 p.m. (ET) with the exception of Maryland Million Day, Oct. 14 (11:30 a.m.) and Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23 (11:25 a.m.)
Juveniles will be on center stage Saturday, Nov. 11 in the $100,000 James F. Lewis III and $100,000 Smart Halo, the latter for fillies, both at six furlongs. The card will also include the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go at 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares 3 and up.
Laurel Park will serve up a total of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses over back-to-back days on Thanksgiving weekend. Maryland-bred/sired horses are featured Friday, Nov. 24 with the seven-furlong, $75,000 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and up and six-furlong, $75,000 Politely for fillies and mares 3 and older.
Saturday, Nov. 25 offers the last stakes races in Maryland for straight 3-year-olds, the $100,000 Safely Kept for fillies and $100,000 City of Laurel, both sprinting seven furlongs. In addition, horses aged 3 and up will travel 1 1/8 miles in the $100,000 Richard W. Small. All three stakes are listed.
The final month of the calendar year will feature eight stakes worth $800,000 in purses, launched by the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly, each at seven furlongs, Saturday, Dec. 2.
Christmas weekend begins with four stakes worth $400,000 Saturday, Dec. 23 – the $100,000 Dave's Friend for 3-year-olds and up and $100,00 Willa On the Move for fillies and mares 3 and older, respectively sprinting six and 6½ furlongs; $100,000 Carousel for fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles and $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso for runners 3 and older going 1 1/16 miles.
The 2023 stakes calendar concludes Saturday, Dec. 30 with the $100,000 Heft for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs.
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Laurel Juvenile Stakes Winners Brocknardini, Air Recruit Possible For Breeders’ Cup
Thomas Brockley and Daryn Bedinotti's 2-year-old filly Brocknardini, who impressed earning her first stakes victory in Saturday's $150,000 Selima at Laurel Park, will be pointed to a potential start in the Breeders' Cup, trainer George Weaver said.
Brocknardini rolled to a popular 2¼-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Selima for juvenile fillies, which in 2019 produced subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) winner Sharing, who went on to win the Edgewood (G2) and Tepin in 2020 and retire a millionaire.
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf will be run Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.
“I'll run her in the Breeders' Cup, if she can get in,” Weaver said of Brocknardini. “I don't know if she'll get in, but if she were to draw in I'll run her. Why not? There's a lot to gain and not a lot to lose.”
Under a patient ride in her third start and first under jockey Joe Rocco Jr., Brocknardini rated two wide while racing in fifth behind dirt stakes winner Carmelina, who was making her turf debut. Rocco tipped Brocknardini further out to launch her bid, surged to the lead in midstretch, and drew off under a hand ride to win in 1:47.45 over a turf course rated good.
It was reminiscent of Brocknardini's Aug. 16 debut going the same distance at Saratoga, where she took a commanding lead at the top of the stretch and cruised home a 4¾-length winner against fellow New York-breds. The effort earned her a trip to Woodbine for the one-mile Natalma (G1) Sept. 16, only to encounter a nightmarish trip after a belated start.
“I was glad to see her get back to what we thought first time out,” the New York-based Weaver said. “She showed promise the first time out at Saratoga, then went over to Woodbine and didn't really adjust well to the one turn.
“I know [Saturday's] race was a little easier, but she just didn't run her race at Woodbine,” he added. “It was great to see her come back, and I thought she won pretty stylishly.”
Brocknardini's victory continued to stellar year for Weaver, now 16-for-44 with 2-year-olds including 13-for-30 on the grass. Tops among them are three-time stakes winner No Nay Mets and Crimson Advocate, winner of the Queen Mary (G2) in June at Royal Ascot.
By Palace Malice out of the Bernardini mare Broad Stripes, Brocknardini fetched $35,000 during Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium May 22.
Weaver was proud of the effort put forth by Brocknardini, who had all of her timed breezes at Saratoga and was coming back just 14 days following the Natalma.
“It's like a stock price. After she ran at Woodbine her stock went down, so we had to try to do something to get it back up,” Weaver said. “She delivered for us.”
Trainer Arnaud Delacour indicated following Saturday's $150,000 Laurel Futurity that Mark Grier's Air Recruit is also likely to be pointed to California for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Nov. 3 following his 5½-length victory.
It was the first stakes win for Air Recruit, who stretched out around two turns for the first time after capturing his Aug. 5 unveiling by 1 ¼ lengths and running third behind No Nay Mets in the Sept. 9 Rosie's, both sprinting 5 ½ furlongs at Colonial Downs.
Both Shards and Cigale, who respectively ran second and third to Air Recruit in the maiden special weight, came back to win their next starts.
“You always wonder about the quality of the horses you beat when you break your maiden because there's a lot of 2-year-olds in North America,” Delacour said. “You always retrospectively find out what you have, as far as form, two or three months down the road. But it's obviously solid, which is great.”
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Balladeer Makes All To Win John Henry Turf Championship In Stakes Debut
Although he's a three-time Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and was inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 2017, business has been slow of late for Victor Espinoza, but in Sunday's $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship (G2) at Santa Anita, the 51-year-old native of Mexico City looked half his age aboard Balladeer for the first time.
The pair lead seven rivals on a merry chase, leading at every point of call en route to a half-length score. Time for the 1 1/4 miles was 1:58.94 on firm footing.
Fresh off a rousing gate-to-wire score going 1 5/16 miles on turf under Florent Geroux at Kentucky Downs Sept. 9, Balladeer was keen out of the gate with Espinoza and wide-out in the short run down the hillside turf to the dirt crossing. He settled into a nice rhythmic stride as the field came past the wire for the first time and was bounding along to the far turn as last year's John Henry winner, Masteroffoxhounds, loomed dangerously, cutting Balladeer's lead to a half length a quarter mile out. Balladeer was far from finished, however, and repelled the challenge while staying on gamely to prevail in a huge effort.
Off at 6-1 in his second career stakes assignment, Balladeer paid $15 for the win. The John Henry Turf Championship marked his stakes debut after competing in a dozen allowance or allowance-optional claiming races since July 2022. He is trained by George Papaprodromou.
Owned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran, Balladeer, the 4-year-old colt by Distorted Humor out of the Galileo mare Golden Ballad picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his lifetime earnings to $367,290 from an overall mark of 18-4-2-2. He was bred in Kentucky by Bonne Chance Farm LLC. Nguyen paid $355,000 to acquire the bay colt at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Yearlings Showcase, where Gainesway consigned him.
Trained by Phil D'Amato and ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Masteroffoxhounds ran a tremendous race and was actually gaining again on the winner at the wire but had to settle for the place, finishing 1¼ lengths in front of Speaking Scout.
Next to last heading to the far turn, Speaking Scout, off at 7-1 with Joel Rosario, finished a half length in front of Brazilian-bred Planetario.
Fractions on the race were :23.36, :47.41, 1:12.07, and 1:35.95.
JOHN HENRY TURF CHAMPIONSHIP QUOTES:
JOCKEY VICTOR ESPINOZA, BALLADEER, WINNER: “He took the dirt crossing wide, but it wasn't really important because I was able to control him without fighting with him or irritating him. When I crossed the dirt, we just went towards the rail and he was just going at a nice speed. I was just pleased with the way he responded to my command.
“He was strong all the way, even when the horses came to him, he would not let them go by. I just have fun riding these types of horses that just go out there and do their job.”
TRAINER GEORGE PAPAPRODROMOU, BALLADEER, WINNER: “He ran huge at Kentucky Downs and he came out of the race great. This race came up and there was nothing else until Del Mar, so we figured just give him one more shot then give him a break after this, so it worked out perfectly.
“At the three-eighths I saw Maldonado (Masteroffoxhounds) getting close, but I knew my horse and he had another gear based on the distance of his last race. He was fit enough to take them all the way.
“We won a lot of races with Victor way back and he's back now again. He worked him at Del Mar and we gave him a shot. Why not?”
PART-OWNER CALVIN NGUYEN, BALLADEER, WINNER: “This race was more exciting because it is a Grade II and he beat Gold Phoenix and we are really excited. Victor did a great job getting her to relax and all the credit to Victor and George. I was standing next to my sister-in-law and when he got out I was really apprehensive, but he had time to settle and just relax. I thought he was going a little fast, but he had another gear at the end, it was awesome.
“It will be up to George where we go next. We will see how he comes out of the race, this race came up a little quick and George said to give it a shot, so we will let him decide.”
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